Key Posts

Wednesday, 15 November 2017

FILE>NEW>LIBRARY (eg Jasper Smiths, and rename the EVENT that defaults to the date as name).

CMD+N for new project file (eg Jasper Smiths sample1).

If you've backed up/shared any footage on the Media drive, copy to the Movies folder and import to FCPX from there - DON'T directly import from the Media drive.

You should save footage in specific folders - drag these from Finder to the event and let go; they'll import AND add keys (tags) which means you can narrow down the clips you're through to ones just from it. You might get a message saying 'can't import [these files] - click CONTINUE; the video files will import.

EDIT>INSERT PLACEHOLDER, with the playhead at the very start so this now goes first. Move the audio layer so its connected to the placeholder.

Delete the video layer.

You're ready to go....

Remember, for sharing or backup, your footage, event/s, project file/s - ALL go into the Library. If you want to backup your work its the LIBRARY you need to copy (usually therefore a large file - which is why a portable hard drive is so helpful to own).

Monday, 30 January 2017

Its not immediately obvious how to open it/separate from the protective cover - which is why there are so many guides online, such as this:

The top clip needs quite a lot of force to open - it needs to be carefully checked; I've seen comments online saying its been water damaged as a result of this or other port openings not being properly closed again.

Wednesday, 11 January 2017

There are many variations of the 'steadicam' - from over-the-shoulder rigs (like that famously used in the long opening takes of the original Halloween) to simpler, cheaper handheld devices that seek to smoothen out handheld footage that otherwise tends to be unpleasant to view, and outside of certain contexts will most certainly slash the marks awarded for Media productions.

Motion has been installed on the Macs this week, so here's some quick links if you want to try it out, or just get a sense of what it can do:
Google: apple motion 5.3 guide (the current version, released Oct 2016)

So long as you have a reasonably plain colour background you can achieve an advanced layering technique. The thought came to mind watching the original video for Sophie/Bronwen/Kristian's change of track, Bullet For My Valentine's Throne, as illustrated in the screenshot below:

It was easy to find both official Apple and user guides for this with a clear search phrase, something you should bear in mind whenever you see any FX you think you'd like to use. FCPX has its limitations, but it is still a very powerful tool.

I'll do a guide myself if I get time, but if you can ignore the 1D soundtrack, this kid did a decent job at explaining the process: